England · United Kingdom
Where to stay in Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a city in England, United Kingdom, home to about 188,000 people. This guide covers 3 hotels in Bournemouth, with about 242 rooms between them. Every one carries a published guest score, and the list below is ordered by it.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 3
- Best months
- June to September
- Nearest airport
- BOH7 km · Bournemouth Airport
- Currency
- GBPpound sterling
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Language
- Cornish, English, Irish
About
About Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( BORN-məth) is a coastal resort town and civil parish in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest town in Dorset.
Bournemouth's spa magic has been revitalised and history is repeating itself. A century ago the cream of Victorian society including royalty flocked to Bournemouth's pine forest landscape of luxurious villas. They were eager to sample the relaxing ambience of the town, breathe its healthy air, bathe in the pure seawater and unwind at leisure. In Tess of the D'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy generously described Bournemouth (alias Sandbourne) as "a Mediterranean lounging place on the English Channel".
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Bournemouth
See
Bournemouth is famous for its 7 miles (11 km) of golden sandy beaches and clean seas. The beach has retained the international Blue Flag award status since it was introduced in 1996 and in 2011 also secured 4 Blue Flag awards for Alum Chine beach, Durley Chine beach, Fisherman’s Walk beach and Southbourne beach. The Pier is almost in the middle of the beach and offers a small fair, boat trips, an arcade, a café/bar and some other shops.
- Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum
- TheGallery
- The Atrium Gallery
- St. Peter's Church
- Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation
- Bournemouth Pier
- Central Gardens
- Bournemouth International Centre
- Boscombe Pier
Do
- Oceanarium Bournemouth
- Pavilion Theatre
- Chines
- Bowl Central
- BH2
- AFC Bournemouth
- Bournemouth International Centre
- Bournenmouth Air Festival
- Bourne Free
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Bournemouth
Ordered by guest score as each operator publishes it, weighted by the number of reviews so a handful of perfect scores does not outrank thousands of very good ones. Scores are shown on their own scale.
| # | Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelodge Bournemouth hotel | 90 | 4.1/5 1,881 reviews |
| 2 | Travelodge Bournemouth Seafront hotel | 95 | 4.0/5 2,744 reviews |
| 3 | Travelodge Bournemouth Cooper Dean hotel | 57 | 4.0/5 605 reviews |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
More hotels in Bournemouth
28 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Durley Dean | 0.7 km | |
| Langtry Manor | 1.8 km | |
| Norfolk Hotel | 0.2 km | |
| Royal Bath Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| Royal Exeter Hotel | 0.2 km | |
| The Acorn | 5.7 km | |
| Cumberland Hotel - Oceana Collection | 1.3 km | |
| Hilton Bournemouth | 0.2 km | |
| The Queens Hotel | 1.0 km | |
| The Roundhouse | 0.9 km | |
| White Hart Inn | 7.5 km | |
| Applewood Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| Balincourt | 1.9 km | |
| Best Western Plus the Connaught Hotel & Spa | 0.5 km | |
| Corner House Hotel | 0.5 km | |
| Derby Manor | 1.8 km | |
| Durley Court Hotel Washington Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| Grovefield Manor | 2.1 km | |
| Hampton by Hilton Bournemouth | 0.2 km | |
| Hotel Miramar | 0.8 km | |
| Park Central Hotel | 0.3 km | |
| Pembroke Hotel | 0.5 km | |
| The Canford | 3.5 km | |
| The Chocolate Box Hotel | 0.4 km | |
| The Green House | 0.8 km | |
| The Newark Hotel | 0.3 km | |
| The Orchid Hotel | 0.9 km | |
| Tudor Grange Hotel | 1928 | 1.2 km |
All 31 hotels in Bournemouth, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Bournemouth
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Bournemouth are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; December is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Bournemouth: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bournemouth Airport (BOH), about 7.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; Southampton Airport (SOU, 45 km) and Bristol Airport (BRS, 94 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Unless travelling from the South-West of England most journeys by road will be via the M27 which turns into the dual-carriageway A31 and passes through the New Forest. At Ringwood look for the (A338) Bournemouth exit. Care is necessary when entering into Bournemouth on the Wessex Way as there are numerous speed cameras. Only those with a penchant for long queues of congestion should think about arriving at mid-day/early afternoon on a warm and sunny day!
Getting around
Bournemouth is small enough to walk around, but a local bus service operates frequently within the town centre. The station is a hike (10 or 15 minutes, uphill) from the centre, so consider transport. The main bus operator is the "blue" More buses, whose routes extend over the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area. The main stops are at the rail station and the Square. Taxis are available.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
BOH · Bournemouth Airport
SOU · Southampton Airport
BRS · Bristol Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Bournemouth
Eat
Bournemouth has many different restaurants suiting different tastes and budgets. The Old Christchurch Road at the "top" of the main shopping area has a string of low to mid-range eateries alternating with your orientated bars and clubs. There is another crop of eateries in the West Cliff area (around the International Centre), and in the Triangle, and in Westbourne. The number of takeaways in Bournemouth has also increased over the years, offering a cheap alternative to a restaurant meal. In the city centre you find the usual chain restaurants like JD Wetherspoon, Taco Bell, Greggs (bakery) and Franco Manca.
Drink
At night the town comes alive with a vibrant bar and club scene. It is one of Britain's most popular clubbing locations, with many stag and hen parties held in Bournemouth. There are over 50 nightclub venues which are open every day of the week. On busy clubnights, roughly 40,000 people are out in Bournemouth. The Triangle area in Bournemouth (5 minutes walk up Commercial St from the main square) is where the gay community is concentrated with several gay-friendly clubs and pubs. Most night clubs are in and around town centre, with the exception of the O2 Academy in Boscombe. Old style pubs are at a premium in the centre with the emphasis more on trendy bars.
Stay safe
There is an absolutely incredible number of stag and hen parties passing through the centre during the summer, but they tend to be loud rather than dangerous. Drunken youths tend to congregate in Old Christchurch Rd late at night. It is advisable to travel in groups very late at night due to infrequent but present knife crime and aggressive panhandling.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Bournemouth
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
Questions
Bournemouth: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Bournemouth?
By published guest score: Travelodge Bournemouth (4.1 / 5 · 1,881 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)); Travelodge Bournemouth Seafront (4.0 / 5 · 2,744 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)); Travelodge Bournemouth Cooper Dean (4.0 / 5 · 605 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Bournemouth?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Bournemouth are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; December is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Bournemouth?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bournemouth Airport (BOH), about 7.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; Southampton Airport (SOU, 45 km) and Bristol Airport (BRS, 94 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Bournemouth?
pound sterling (GBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Bournemouth
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.